Terra Aquatica nutrients (once known as General Hydroponics) were the brainchild of Dr. Cal Herrmann, formerly the senior chemist at NASA. With that kind of pedigree, you can see why they've built up such a great reputation, and why they've been one of the go-to choices for huge numbers of growers worldwide. They're simple and easy to use, but there's an array of different feeding schedules, so there can be a lot to take in for the newcomer. In this blog, we'll guide you through the different base nutrient combinations, so that you can make the right choices.
TriPart
TriPart nutrients are a three-part system, with Grow, Bloom and Micro components. TriPart nutrients produce great results in pretty much any growing medium, though they tend to be most popular with growers in active hydroponic systems, like DWC bubblers and AquaFarms (amongst many others), as well as fully hydroponic growing media, like clay pebbles and Rockwool.
The Grow and Bloom components are universal. Your Micro component, however, will depend on the water that you're using to make up your nutrients. Choose the hard water Micro version if the starting EC is 0.4 or above, and go for the soft water version if it's below 0.4. That's going to include anybody using reverse osmosis systems to remove impurities from their water.
All three nutrients are used right the way through the vegetative and flowering stages at differing ratios. Naturally, you'll use more Grow during the vegetative stages and more Bloom during the flowering stages.
NovaMax
NovaMax feeds are classic one-part feeds that keep things nice and simple. There's a Grow component for the vegetative stages and a Bloom component for flowering, so it really couldn't get any easier. You can use both of them together for a brief period as plants are transitioning to the flowering stages.
Novamax feeds use a combination of minerals and natural extracts, so if you want to combine organic and hydroponic feeding, and get the best from both worlds, they make a great choice. They're also ideal for anybody looking to keep things as simple as possible.
Pro Organic
The vast majority of growers who opt for Pro Organic use it in soil, as it's known to produce great results. Pro Organic nutrients are one of the few organic ranges that also work well in hydroponic systems (bioponics) and coco. They're formulated to be ultra soluble, so they won't leave residues on your equipment, like other organic feeds, and they'll last longer in your reservoir before degrading. Just make sure that you add in some beneficial microbes, as they play an important role in making the nutrient content available to your plants. For this reason, you'll also need to avoid sterilising agents, like Silver Bullet and Liquid Oxygen.
Use both of them in combination and then use Bloom as a standalone once you hit the flowering stages.
Note that the feeding guides can vary, depending on your chosen growing medium. Consult the Terra Aquatica feed charts for more info, which can be found in the Downloads section of each listing.
